Portuguese explorers who captured the island, in 1521, were
eventually overwhelmed by the Persians in 1602.

To escape tribal wars in Central Arabia, the al-Khalifa family moved
to the Gulf Coast in the 17th century and found a more prosperous life on the coast of Qatar.

The al-Khalifa
family gained control of Bahrain in 1783, until British influence in the region forced
them to accept a series of treaties.

From 1861, Great Britain started to control Bahrain's external
affairs. Bahrain joined the Trucial States but, when the British withdrew, they elected to
remain outside the United Arab Emirates.

Bahrain became an independent constitutional monarchy on 6th December,
1973. Since dissolving the constitutional national assembly in August 1975, the royal
family have taken over as unchallenged absolute rulers.

In the 1980's, the Iranians tried to encourage revolution in the
island and renew their claims to the emirate; but their attempts were thwarted.

Shiite supporters of a cleric have tried to call for a return to the
national assembly but their demonstrations in Manama were quickly put down, in December
1994 and early 1995.

Bahrain's
Ninth al-Khalifa:
In 1999, Sheikh Isa took over as head of state after the death of his father, Sheikh
Salman, becoming the ninth in a line of Bahrain's rulers from the al-Khalifa family.

Tourist brochures are available from the various Bahrain
provincial tourism offices. The main office is located on Adliya Avenue.

No visit to Bahrain would be complete without a trip to the
souk,
with its profusion of colours, sounds, and aromas.

Bahrain Visa Requirements

No visa is required for citizens of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman and
Kuwait, provided they bring all other travel documents. Any European national visiting
Bahrain may receive an 'on-arrival visa' which permits them to stay for a maximum period
of one week.